Christmas trees for soldiers and sailors

Christmas can be a lonely time, especially for the nation's military personnel and their families. So give them a little holiday cheer by buying them a Christmas tree.

Today is the last day for Pennsylvania residents to participate in the 2018 Trees for Troops drive, according to the state departments of Agriculture and Military and Veterans Affairs.

“This outstanding program will send trees overseas to spread joy to service members deployed far away from their families, and also deliver trees stateside to brighten the hearts of our troops and their families who were fortunate to be home for the holidays,” said Maj. Gen. Tony Carelli, the state adjutant general, who heads the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

The program is part of the Christmas SpiritFoundation, a nonprofit branch of the National Christmas Tree Association, which represents more than 700 farms in 29 states. For information on participating locations, go to www.christmasspiritfoundation.org.

In other holiday news, Gov. Tom Wolf and first lady Frances Wolf will light the Capitol's Christmas Tree at a noon ceremony Thursday.

It is an 18-foot Douglas fir from Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton.

— Steve Esack

calling for an end to U.S. military to end its involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

The vote occurred over the objections of President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Trump has stuck up for Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. intelligence officials say must have at least known about his government's plot to kill Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, who lived in the United States, was murdered last month in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

Toomey's full statement after Wednesday's vote:

“As a great nation, we are challenged to maintain both our security and our values. Sometimes, our national security interests require us to work with regimes, like that of Saudi Arabia, that do not share our values and our views on human rights. This does not mean we can ignore atrocities committed by the governments of our allies. Today's procedural vote will rightfully prompt further conversation on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and our relationship with Saudi Arabia. However, it also affords the Senate an opportunity to have a broader debate concerning the appropriate balance between our values and maintaining our national security based relationships.”

— Steve Esack

heading the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

That panel is tasked with developing messages that communicate the House Democrats' positions and agenda.

“I intend to use this leadership position to help my party and the House of Representatives do more for the 8th Congressional District of Pennsylvania,” Cartwright said in a statement.

The post could be a stepping stone to other leadership roles within the caucus. The current DPCC leaders sought more prominent posts, with one elected as the caucus chairman and another tapped to head the House Democratic campaign arm.

— Laura Olson SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2018 Pennsylvania

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